Thursday, October 06, 2016
27th Week in
Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Gal 3: 1-5
Gospel: Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is traveling has just arrived and I have nothing to offer him.’ Maybe your friend will answer from inside: ‘Don’t bother me now; the door is locked and my children and I are in bed, so I can’t get up and give you anything.’ But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need.
“And so I say to you, ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.
“If your child asks for a fish, will you give a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give a scorpion? Even you evil people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will the Father in heaven give Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
A conservative seminarian takes a bus for a short home visit. A lady gets into the same bus and sits beside him. “Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from evil”, he mumbles. Right then the woman disembarks. He feels grateful to God for delivering him from temptation. “Indeed prayer works”, he exclaims. Another lady comes in and takes the vacated seat. He takes a second look at her. Her curvaceous eyelashes sweep across her cheeks as she gently closes her hazel nut eyes to avoid the surreptitious gazes of the seminarian. Taking a deep breath he prays: “Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
This story throws light on how we manipulate God when we pray. Some people misinterpret the verse “Ask and you will receive” to mean they could pray like spoiled brats expecting God to grant anything. They sulk if he doesn’t. Others deride God with their favorite song “Natutulog ba ang Dyos”.
God is not a vendo machine and prayer is not a coin. As an intelligent provider he grants prayers on the basis of ultimate beneficiality to the soul. God sees the future. We just have to trust him that he will not give us a snake when what we actually need is a fish. Prayer is not an occasion to manipulate God. Rather, it is a privileged time to ritualize our trust in the wisdom of God’s providence as we seal all prayers with “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.– (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM, MMExM, MAPM, REB. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
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